


The Patient Man

by Ononymous



Series: Father's Day/Asgore Week 2019 [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, POV First Person, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Pre-Undertale, technically
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 15:23:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19253896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ononymous/pseuds/Ononymous
Summary: In an effort to keep customers in his shop and their wallets at least slightly opened, Gerson does what he does best: Embarrass his fellow monsters. But sometimes, the stories illustrate a different side.





	The Patient Man

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Anger

...an' then Grillby says... well I couldn't hear him so good, feller was always a quiet one, but whatever he said Rovie heard 'im an' damn near wet herself! Kept clear of the bar for like two months! Wa ha ha!

Hmm, wussat? How'd the King react? Well he helped dry her off an' then suggested she figure out why she gets so mad in the first place. Typical Fluffybuns, damn near impossible to rile up!

One time, though...

Huh, the war? Nah, I'm not talkin' about that. I ain't gonna say that wasn't a bad bad decision, an' he knows it better'n anyone, but it's a rage you can understand. Naw, I'm talkin' about another time I felt like I was cookin' in my shell nearby.

...Hmm...

...Hmm...

...well whadoya know, I plum clean forgot! Wa ha ha! Sorry 'bout teasing a yarn like that, kiddo. Say, y'all want another Sea Tea? Great for giving you a lil' pizazz in your step. Some fancy human gym was talkin' to me, they reckon it's just the thing to help their customers when they're exercising, wanna buy the recipe off me! Why dontcha have a final glass of authentic homemade stuff before I go on an' sell out?

Well thankin' ya kindly for your patronage! ...ahhhh, if that don't hit the spot. Oh right, Asgore gettin' mad, I remember now! It was that boy of his. Y'all know how there was a big uproar when they lost 'im, well there was another one around the time they gained 'im, too!

Watcha mean "Watcha mean"? Welp, thing you have to understand about us monsters getting shoved Underground is nobody was in a hurry to have kids after it happened. If they had 'em before, they loved and care for 'em just like any family would, but adding more? Well, how'd ya feel about raising your kid in a prison? Exactly. Why'd anyone do that to someone else on purpose, just so they'd feel cooped up? Babies were far an' few between back then, an' were less celebrated as tolerated while Asgore and such were tryin' to make sure we had enough food. But those feelings withered over the years, specially as the younguns who could barely remember the sun an' their home was their home. The limits annoyed you if you were an explorer, but I reckon you can't really lament what ya never had in the first place. So as food got better an' more plentiful, the younguns had no scruples makin' more younguns. Eh? How did they make 'em? Ask your mother.

Time ain't stoppin' for old farts like me, an' as the younguns and their younguns outnumber their folks, people start takin' more of an interest in the next generation. Growing families are a thing to celebrate again. Can't call it a bad outcome, all folks need an excuse to be happy or ya just lay down an' self-dust from boredom. I ain't quite sure in my recollection of how it came about - I definitely remember it was a great laugh at someone's expense other'n mine - but a tradition popped up where the King an' Queen would turn up to each new baby to congratulate 'em. Toriel, she was good at calmin' 'em down if they were throwing a strop. Meanwhile Asgore had a knack fer makin' 'em giggle by poking around their mouths with his finger. He also had no fur on that finger, because baby monster teeth can be pretty damn sharp. Wa ha!

So, despite all their cooin', didn't look like they were in a hurry to try for a kid themselves. Not that boss monsters ever rush into such things, but even for them they gave it no thought. I teased Asgore about it an' got a lecture about a flower he'd managed to grow in rougher soil rather than an answer. Honestly, I reckon they still considered the Underground a prison. When ya don't age, your memory holds out pretty well, so they remembered the sun better'n the rest of us left who could. So to them it'd be subjecting their little prince or princess to a cramped prison rather'n a cozy home. But they got worn down. Attending every baby shower fer centuries'll do that for ya. Haven't a clue whether they agreed to try or somebody did a whoopsiedaisy, but the next thing the Kingdom knows, the Queen's expecting an' the King looks like he just broke the barrier. 'spose he did, in a manner of speakin' No, I ain't explaining what I mean.

Now, as she baked the bun in her oven...

Uhh...

...She... He...

Dangit, guess I forgot what happened next! Ah well, half a story's better'n none! Say, you're looking mighty parched. Might I interest you in some more refreshments? Thanks, here's your change. ...mmmm, lemon juice's way better than algae residue in this stuff. Now where was I? Thassright, the Prince's birth, remem'r it like yesterday.

Before we get to that though, you should know that back then the Underground weren't exactly... rock solid, lessay. Waterfall? Waterplummet more like! Reckon the surface weather was nonstop rain fer months, even Hotland was full of steam. An' if you did geography in school, you might recall how water c'n push on cracks in rocks an' over the years can make 'em bigger, until the rocks just split. Well that was goin' on way faster than we were used to. Not like we were all about to be crushed, we'd paid attention to stuff like that since about day three of bein' trapped. But since about day seven we've been minin' an' excavatin'. Started as trying to find a path round the barrier, but that didn't last long. But the minerals we dug up have their uses. Still, eroding rocks an' mine shafts ain't the best combination, so Asgore puts the breaks on excavatin' while the weather's so crappy. But then the Royal Scientist comes up an'... they... huh, my head's itchy. Never mind. We figured out some fancy doodad or gizmo to make tunnels stronger. Some folks wanted to start back up right away, but the Queen was nothin' if not a stickler for procedure, so she insisted on a phased approach in case something blew up, an' that was as good as the King sayin' it himself.

Well the day came. The King an' Queen had been in Waterfall when there was a hunormous crashing noise. Horns almost fell off in shock! An' it was enough for the baby to decide he was ready to come out, so Asgore picks her up an' runs all the way to their house. The birth itself was pretty boring, truth told. Hurried inside as two, came out a few hours later as three. Reckon half of that was naming him, heh! Cutest thing I've seen in decades, too, giggled whenever I said rude words in front of him. Now the birth was boring, but the parties were a grand time. I remember when Bearnardo got a little too overwatered and grabbed- Huh? The crashing noise? Oh, a tree, wouldn't ya know! Rain must've been joined by wind an' uprooted it from the mountain side. Good quality wood, too. The new parents took it as a sign to make some commemorative panels you could put on your mantlepiece or even nail to your door.

Once everyone recovered from their hangovers a few days later, the family up an' decide to introduce the prince to his future subjects. Young Argie, he was Captain of the Guard at the time, offered to carry 'im, but Toriel nixxed that in a hurry. Got a little overbearing with him over the years, I reckon. It sounds silly, but then with what happened... Anywho! As parta this impromptu tour they were inspecting a new area of Waterfall carved out to be houses an' workplaces, boring stuff like that. I had myself a little mosey over as well, for the grapevine hinted the Queen had brought some of her pie. I'd never demand it, but if I happened to stand two feet in front of her starin' up until she offers me a slice, I ain't sayin' no. Well I'm talking to Asgore an' makin' the kid giggle outta earshot of his mother an' she's talking technical details of some shaft or whatever, and...

And...

Hmm, looks like my brain's makin' a liar out of me yet again, Wa Ha- Huh? What's that? Why of course you can have another Sea Tea! Half price, even! There ya go, kiddo.

Anyway, just as the Queen finally heard me make her son laugh and turned to scold me, there's a deep groaning noise from what sounds like everywhere, an' then a crack like a whip. I remember that second noise well, heard it the second day we were down there. And I look up an' the ceiling's trembling. I hear a booming " **TORIEL!** " and nobody is standin' still. Everyone's on the move as some rocks start to fall. Asgore gives Toriel their kid so he can pick up some nearby Froggits an' carry them clear, an' I whip out my hammer to smash some larger stones to pebbles. A few people got hurt, but those two worked in tandem, directin' the guard to clear rubble an' take the hit if necessary.

An' that's when Asgore looked over to his wife an' kid, an' a huge boulder fell and blocked his view.

Now from my angle, they were nowhere near the boulder, but I could see it in his eyes. Bet you know that look now. For that one moment, the light of his eyes just up an' died. Her's too, in fact. But they screamed for each other, an' realising they were all okay had the presence of mind to get clear of the cave-in before freaking out any further. I hobbled after them, an' even then they weren't embracing each other, but patching the lighter injuries from the collapse, though Toriel looked like she'd never let go of her son. Explains a lot, 'spose.

After things died down, Asgore sent some guards back in there to find out what the hell happened. Didn't take long for them to come back out and mutter somethin' to him, so he follows 'em back in, an' somehow I get dragged into this. Past the main cave-in, down to some newer shafts that were supposed to be off limits. An' there stood Gerrard. Little squat noodly-armed idiot with a hard hat. Talked half a dozen of his friends into finishing work on a shaft early so they could claim a seam of something-or-other, he'd get half and they'd get half. Clearly in defiance of the warning laid down by Toriel but Gerrard was never the sort to not ditch a rule if it blocked what he wanted. We ask where is friends are an' he points down the shaft an' Asgore lights it up with flame. Totally blocked up. Turns out this minor cave-in caused the main one. Now Asgore's tryin' to be patient and you'd probably miss it as a casual listener, but I could hear the strain. He was explaining how dangerous what the idiot did and how people were hurt, and off handedly he mentioned the Queen and Prince almost got hurt, and Gerrard.

Gerrard...

Well _Gerrard_...

That dung for brains...

He just...

"Whatever. You only care because it's your family. And they didn't even get hurt anyway, so what's the big deal?"

An' that's about the time I wondered if there was lava nearby. Young Argie stepped back too. I could hear Asgore chokin' on what sounded like a botched breathin' exercise. I swear there was a _snap_ too, an' Gerrard was getting lit up by something bright red, an' then...

The thing is, it's about context, isn't it? You insult Asgore, he takes it in stride. You threaten him, he makes sure it's only him. You hurt him even, he'll apologise for gettin' dust on you. But others. Actually, threaten or attack others an' it's as good as a suicide note, but in the moment it's nothin' personal, he's out to protect. But at least act like you give a damn about what you're doing to them. You don't even care about what you've inflicted an' you get... well, ya get Asgore.

Well I ain't heard a Dreemurr roar like that since King Asnaud, an' that was just fer a stubbed toe. Even with the war, Asgore's rage was more at the world than any one thing. But Gerrard got it all. He got ev'ry ounce o' fury a patient man can store all at once. An' he got the flames. Argie 'n' me, no idea how we found ourselves several paces back. An' then out comes that oversized salad fork of his, aimed directly at Gerrard, an' for a split second I think an execution's a comin'. But no. Not Asgore. Not when he can act. He raises his trident at the rock pile, an the heat was so intense it hurt to keep my eyes open, but I could see through my lids! An' then the darkness returned.

I open my peepers again, an' look at what the trident's still pointing at. An' it's pointing at nothing. He didn't smash the rocks. Didn't even melt 'em! They were just... gone. An' beyond the nothing he was pointin' at, Gerrard's gang were there, mostly fine, but lookin' like I felt. An' well Asgore muttered something to Argie who took Gerrard into custody, then he walked past his handiwork and ushered them out. It were like nothin' had happened. Handed me a petrified Migosp, and the ten of us make our way back out. An' there's Toriel, no longer threatening to throttle her kid, so Asgore, he lets the gang enjoy the hospitality of the guard, walks straight up to her, and starts pokin' round his son's mouth, gigglin' away. Youda though he'd just been called away for a phone call. No idea if she ever heard him from down there, heard what he's capable of, but that's for them to hash out, if they're up to it these days. What did I learn from that day? Those slow to anger just ain't found the right shortcut yet. But Asgore has. Keeps clear of it most days, but life steers you down there sometimes.

Well, it's comin' up on closin' time, so I'd better save these stories for another day. Hmm? One more Sea Tea? Aw hell, why not, kiddo? Hey, I ever tell you about the time Asgore got a silly haircut? Wa ha ha!

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!


End file.
